Critical Religious Education

Multiculturalism and the Pursuit of Truth

Cloth $85.00ISBN: 9780708320570
Published
February 2008
For sale in North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand only

Traditionally, religious education has been seen as the process through which a religious community or nation-state transmits core beliefs and values to its children. Across Europe and America, this has largely involved the transmission of Christianity—with the emergence of multicultural societies, however, religious education has been transformed into a process through which children learn about different religious traditions that coexist alongside their own. However, critics of this new liberal religious education feel such an approach leads to questions of ultimate truth at the core of religious belief being ignored in an effort to nurture values of freedom and tolerance. Critical Religious Education explores the possibility of reintroducing questions of religious truth and truthful living into a pluralistic society and classroom.

“The author has managed to carve out the niche within the whole field, demonstrating how philosophical ideas can be applied to the social and political situation in which religious education in England and Wales, but also within Europe, finds itself. His approach is partially philosophical but also informed by the knowledge of classroom practice as he lectures on the MA in religious education at Kings College and is therefore in touch with current classroom practice.” –Revd. Dr. William K Kay, Bangor University

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